Watch your makeup compact, Hillary, Florida's Katherine Harris may have her eyes on the United States Senate, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

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Against the apparent wishes of senior Bush strategists, Harris has decided in her heart and mind that she will seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, sources close to Harris tell DRUDGE.

"She wants it, wants it badly!" a top source said Thursday. "She'll make her decision public within the next week."

The source, who has daily contact with Harris, cautions the congresswoman still could hold back and not make the run, in deference to the president and his brother's wishes.

Sarasota County's GOP chairman, Tramm Hudson, said he spoke to Harris Tuesday night and that she seemed ready to run, according to reports. Harris continues to be one of the party's top fund-raisers.

Nope, just ignorant. I know very little about Katherine Harris, I seem to remember that she helped the Bush cause in the last presidential election Florida debacle. So why doesn't the White House want her to run?

She didn't "help Bush" beyond enforcing the law as was written. She was ravaged by the press for doing this. She was the most prominent figure in the news during the election fiasco, most of the press being very negative.

In the political sense, she's the equivalent of Hillary on the right as far as being polarizing (unfairly so, I will add, but it's still a fact). Her candidacy could severely damage the President's chances of carrying Florida, and without it, he's probably toast.

I must also renew my complaint that the Republicans are doing a LOUSY job about developing a pipeline of quality candidates. We make so much fun of the RATs and the nine dwarfs fighting amongst themselves. Well, what is going to happen for 2008? It is going to start day one of Bush's next term. I'm afraid the republican senate race for Graham's seat will be the model.

I don't mean to imply we should have an heir-apparent for each office. The idea that it is person x's turn is what gave us Bob Dole. Still, we need to have a leadership plan where we are cycling people through the right experiences to be ready for the next step. Another term or two for KH and she is ready to take on Nelson when he's up for re-election.

61
posted on 01/08/2004 9:49:28 AM PST
by NonValueAdded
("Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." GWB 9/20/01)

If not, wouldn't someone who was perceived to help Bush get elected be a positive?

No, but bringing the news of the election debacle back to the forefront (not only in Florida, but nationwide) would not be a plus...at all. She's perceived by many to have abused her office (a lie, but it's still what's out there) to get Bush in office. That's not a positive, no matter how much people like or dislike Bush.

In a Harris-Martinez-McCollum primary (they're the three most likely to compete), I'd go with Harris.

Reason? The Democratic base will be energized by presumtpive nominee Howard Dean. Harris will mobilize our base just as much. Mel Martinez can then take this primary as a dry run for governor to succeed Jeb Bush.

73
posted on 01/08/2004 10:04:12 AM PST
by hchutch
(Why did the Nazgul run from Arwen's flash flood? All they managed to do was to end up dying tired.)

Funny how the statistics don't back you up one bit. Tell those friends/voices in high places they're betting wrong on this fine lady

What statistics? References, please, because if they were valid numbers, we would be using them.

There is no though that Katherine is not a fine woman. I have spent enough time with her and her husband to know that. That is not the issue. The issue is wether or not she is the candidate most likely to win the Senate race in Florida, and to what extent she would help or hurt the President's reelection efforts.

She truly is a fine woman. Mel, Bill, Dr. Dave and Dan are all fine men. This is simply not her time. It will come.

74
posted on 01/08/2004 10:06:20 AM PST
by MindBender26
(For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper Network station)

Keep in mind, Bush was picking up a lot of support, and the Dems can't raise too much about Florida - they have TONS of dirt there, too. Tossing out military votes, for instance.

Give that Howard Dean at the top of the Dem ticket will have an excited left-wing base, Harris would excite conservatives a lot more than McCollum or Martinez and help even the odds. Given the Dems tries in `02 and failed, I think she'd win.

All three of them (Harris, Martinez, and McCollum) would be good Senators, and any of the three would get my vote as the nominee.

86
posted on 01/08/2004 10:18:29 AM PST
by hchutch
(Why did the Nazgul run from Arwen's flash flood? All they managed to do was to end up dying tired.)

I think you may have misunderstood my post...or perhaps I didn't word it clearly. In either case, my point was that we can come up with our own analysis without Rove's input or lack thereof. Most of us questioned the wisdom of such a run before Rove's supposed feelings on the subject were known.

Sorry, but that is not a statistic you use to predict a statewide race.

In Realpolitic, one of the first things you look at is their Q rating. That is the percentage of people who know them who like them, minus two and a half times the number of people who know them and dislike them. Katherine does very poorly here STATEWIDE.

Another viable test is the Dollar Driver Scale. You get a percentage of voters who would GIVE MONEY to see her elected, vs those who would GIVE MONEY to see her opponent elected. (You are not actually looking for money here, just the depth of commitment.) Again, she fairs very poorly in this STATEWIDE.

Finally, you poll voters and ask if they are in favor/opposed to her "slightly or an average amount or a huge amount?" Again, she does poorly here, with those who oppose her doing so with great vigor.

A great lady. Not this race; not this time.

88
posted on 01/08/2004 10:20:53 AM PST
by MindBender26
(For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper Network station)

I think you may have misunderstood my post...or perhaps I didn't word it clearly. In either case, my point was that we can come up with our own analysis with Rove's input or lack thereof. Most of us questioned the wisdom of such a run before Rove's supposed feelings on the subject were known.

In the aftermath of the campaign finance reform, Medicare prescription drug entitlement, and guest worker amnesty-by-installment debacles, he certainly does.

But Rove's fronting Mel Martinez for the Senate is race-based politics pure and simple. While Martinez may be well qualified, I seriously doubt that Rove would be pushing his candidacy if he were not Hispanic.

But Rove's fronting Mel Martinez for the Senate is race-based politics pure and simple

It is far beyond that.

Here in Florida, you need to run 5 races.

1, Hispanic South Florida, 2, The East Coast Jewish Condo Commandos 3, Industrial Tampa and Jax 4, I-75 to I-4 to I-95, Naples to Orlando and north (outside Tampa and Jax.) 5, The Redneck Riviera (west of Jax to LA, or what we call Lower Alabama; I-10 all the way to Pensacola.

Mel wins 4 of the 5, losing only the Condo Commandos.

He wins.

95
posted on 01/08/2004 10:30:43 AM PST
by MindBender26
(For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper Network station)

But Jeb Bush was also dealing with the same allegations as well. The margin was larger than 50-49, IIRC.

It would be close, I agree. A 52/47 race. Given Jeb Bush's presence in `02, given the fact the Rats were just as dirty there, and the fact that she took a strong stand for doing her job, I think she comes out on top of that matchup. But it would require a lot of resources.

Again, the big concern is the number of activists Dean could generate for the other side. He's got a big direct-donor list, and he has excited their base. It would not hurt to have ours excited down in Florida after the last race.

I would like to emphasize that all three of the major names would be good Senators, and each have valid points in their favor. McCollum has a statewide race under his belt, albeit he lost it. Martinez would probably have a solid win, and he does provide a high profile for future elections, although I'd have him for 2006, since the sixth-year elections for two-term Presidents tend to be rough. Katherine Harris excites the activists, which would even the odds against Howard Dean's activists.

Furthermore, all would be good Senators. No need to get in srious arguments over this.

97
posted on 01/08/2004 10:33:31 AM PST
by hchutch
(Why did the Nazgul run from Arwen's flash flood? All they managed to do was to end up dying tired.)

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